Top 25 of 2016: 6) Jackie

JACKIE REVIEWED

“Jackie” has been called many things. A performance piece, a moody look at the aftermath of death and another Kennedy fetish picture for Baby Boomers to celebrate a cinematic wank session. While elements of all three are in this film, there’s something to watching Portman’s Jackie O collapse onscreen. Billy Crudup’s interviewer hammers her for the graphic details of JFK’s assassination, but Jackie’s mind flows to what could be conceived as personal failures. She didn’t feel TV ready, she didn’t feel a part of Camelot and she keeps feeling like she’s failing her children after their father’s death.

Natalie Portman deserves all the award recognition she can land for the role. From her demands to have the American Public see what the gun nuts did to her husband to battling with the new LBJ administration, this is a profile of a strong woman. While films like “Manchester by the Sea” delve deep into overcoming grief, “Jackie” is about the world that a sudden death creates for the survivors. Portman’s turn as the titular character is a guilty survivor that wants to understand why her world is ending.

Plus, wasn’t it weird to see Max from “Doogie Howser” playing Jack Valenti? He got the smugness down, but it just made me smirk. The film should be going wide soon, so make sure to check it out.

FILM STATS

1 hr and 40 mins

R

FOX

RELEASE DATE: 12/2/16

Film Score - 99%

99%

The Plot Thus Far

Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.